1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a pillar for a vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of Material Art
Pillars for use in vehicle body structures include an outer panel and an inner panel. The outer panel is spaced apart from the inner panel so as to define a chamber which provides an area for wire harness routing and vehicle accessory attachments. Additionally, the pillars are configured to provide structural support to the vehicle. Accordingly it is known to add sheets of material to various locations of the pillar body structure to provide additional reinforcement to the pillar thus providing added rigidity and strength to the vehicle body. However, such current reinforcement design is limited in load transferring capabilities. Namely, the patches are designed to locally add material strength, or those used for load transfer are designed to maintain pillar structure under mainly compressive and shear forces. Current pillars are not configured to maintain structural integrity under tensile forces, such as the pulling force exerted by the door on an attachment mechanism such as a hinge or striker. Therefore current pillars remain susceptible to deformation under such loading conditions, which are representative of an impact to the door rather than directly to the pillar structure. Accordingly a pillar structure is provided that includes load-transferring members connecting the outer and inner panels such that the two panels can act conjointly to disperse the previously mentioned type of loads thus providing greater strength and resistance to deformation than is currently known and used.